Sueño kids lead the way

This past April, 400 youth soccer players attended the Sueño
MLS tryout at Houston’s USA
Park, hoping to impress the Dynamo
coaches and earn an invitation to join the Dynamo Academy.
Of the 400 players who tried out, Nelson Castro (Eastwood Academy) and Lorenzo Salazar (Houston Austin) were two of
the five Houston players selected to compete in
the finals of the competition in Los
Angeles, and both are now regular contributors on the
Dynamo Academy U-16 squad.

Nine months ago, Castro never imagined he would make it
through the initial tryout, but he wound up as the eventual Sueño MLS winner. The
then-14-year old Houston native had trained with the
Dynamo Junior Academy
previously but also played for the Houstonians Soccer Club.

“My expectations were not very high,” Castro said of the
competition. “I just tried my best, though, and hoped things would work out for
me. As a defender, it’s not as easy to get noticed by the coaches, but I knew I
had to go in hard for every tackle and win every 50-50 ball if I wanted to get
recognized. My goal was to play hard, simple, and do my best.”

Dynamo
Academy assistant coach
John DeWitt works regularly with Castro on the U-16 squad and served as one of
the talent assessors at the tryout.

“If you watch the
game as an assessor, you start to look for attributes that make players stand out,”
he said. “It was easy for Nelson to stand out because we know what we are
looking for. For an attacker, it’s easy to stand out because they are scoring
goals and doing exciting things. For a defender though, the trick is to look
for when they are making the opposing attackers not do those exciting things.”

DeWitt said Castro’s work ethic and Salazar’s physical
presence were two qualities that attracted the Dynamo coaches to the players.

“Lorenzo is big and tall, and with his height he is more prone
to win balls in the air,” he said. “We couldn’t tell a lot about his speed at
the tryout, but his speed is something that should be an asset given his size,
and I think those things have started to translate to what you are seeing now
with the goals that he has been scoring.”

Salazar has been a revelation for the U-16 squad, giving it a physical presence at the striker position that has been lacking at times in recent years. During the Academy’s recent road trip to Colorado, Salazar scored two goals in two
games and earned a penalty kick to set up another. He has scored three goals on
the season and has played a big part in the team’s recent four-game winning streak.

“I’ve just been working hard every day,” Salazar said. “When
I went to the Sueño MLS tryout, it was very difficult because there were a lot
of players there. But I have worked hard to get to the position I am in now.”

Castro, a natural center back, has spent the majority of the season
slightly out of position as an outside back. Dynamo Director of Youth Development
James Clarkson says Castro has adapted very well to his new position.

“Nelson is young -- he is only a 1995 [birthday] -- but he is very
competitive, a good tackler, and he reads the game well,” Clarkson said. “Next season
he will probably move into the center back role and potentially be a captain on
the squad.”

DeWitt has been equally impressed with how far the two
players have come over the past six months.

“I’ve seen them both become players who are more comfortable
playing at a faster pace,” he said. “I think when they first came into the
Academy, the pace of play may have been faster than what they are used to. The
expectations also might have been higher than what they were used to. I think
they have adjusted into those roles, and it has been nice to see them develop.”

This weekend, the U-16 team will take its Sueño show on the
road to Phoenix
for the USSF Developmental Academy Winter Showcase. If the squad can earn
positive results against the Clearwater Chargers (FL), Cosmos West (Los Angeles), and California DA (Loomis, CA),
they will be in good position to earn one a coveted playoff spot by season’s
end.

Academy squads travel to showcase

Both Academy squads will travel to Phoenix this weekend for the USSF Developmental Academy Winter Showcase. Dynamo Academy goalkeeper Fernando Piña is also expected to compete in the Showcase as the goalkeeper for the U.S. U-17 national team in three nationally televised games. U-16 defender Bradley Bourgeois and U-18 defender Leo Ayala were selected to play in the Development Academy Select Game on Saturday, December 4. Two teams of players born in 1992 and 1993 will play each other at 1:30 p.m., followed by two groups of players born in 1994 and 1995 at 3:30 p.m.

Andrew Thompson trained with the Academy squads at the Awty International School last night, becoming the second player from a Dynamo Juniors program to train with the Academy. Thompson, from El Paso, will train with the Dynamo all week and hope to make a positive impression on Clarkson and the coaching staff. Click here for more information on the Dynamo Juniors program.